Title

Ball Size Distance

Problem Scenario

There is an argument between boys and girl over what ball can be hit further with a bat of the same sport.So I will take a softball bat and hit up against the softball and I will hit the baseball with the baseball bat.

Broad Question

If you change the size of a ball will it change how far it travels.

Specific Question

Does ball size effect how far a ball can be hit (the ball has the same mass as the other one)

Hypothesis

I think the ball that is the smallest will be hit further by a bat

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:Ball size

Dependent Variable:Distance

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

variables	Type of varible
bat speed	controlled
type of bat	controlled
ball will be hit from same spot, and the bat will be swung at the same speed evreytime for most accurate data	controlled

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

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General Plan

So I will be taking different ball sizes (softball,baseball) and hitting them off a tea. And I will take the machine I created that will swing the bat at the same speed every time Also I will not change the bat type I will be taking the same bat putting it on my machine and swinging by using bung cords and attaching it to it and pulling it back and letting it go. The machine will stay in the same position so the data stays as accurate as possible and the tea will stay at the same spot and the ball will be the same ball every time.

Potential Problems And Solutions

• none

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

• I could possibly get hit by the ball or the bat.

Experimental Design

Number Of Comparison Categories:

Four in all the softball bat baseball bat and a baseball and softball.

Number of Comparison Samples:

And I will be measuring each ball 20-40

Number Of Observation In Each Sample:

I will be mesuring two things Softball,Baseball.

When data will be collected

my data will be collected when most of the snow is gone

Where will data be collected?:

My house in Conway New Hampshire
(add the correct headings from the experimental design page before beginning)

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
baseball's	10	Walmart	9.99$
soft ball's	10	Walmart	9.99$
		My

Detailed Procedure

What I am going to do is buy my supplies from walmart then I will take those balls and make them do they have the same mass but are still the same size. and then i will take my machine from last year that hites the ball at the same speed everytime. And will hit the ball's with this machine everytime from the same spot and see which one goes the farthest.

Diagram

Photo List

Time Line

Feb 4th- gather my materials
Feb 9th-work on finishing wiki
Feb 14th-start building my second machine
Feb 21st-collect my data
Feb 28th-finish my wiki space completed
March 6th-Start my poster
March 11th-finish my poster
March 18th- final touches on science fair
March 22nd - Work on speech
March 24th- Work on answering question that may be asked
March 26th- work on getting ready for everything
March 29th-good luck!!!! presenting
May 9th-regional science fair

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Data Table

distance for softball (feet)	distance for baseball (feet)
47.8 ft	44.1 ft
47.6 ft	45 ft
49 ft	50 ft
41 ft	47.11 ft
51 ft	43.9 ft
46.4 ft	42.5 ft
53.5 ft	48.2 ft
54 ft	42.7 ft
48.5 ft	42,1 ft
42.5 ft	43.4 ft

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Data Analysis

All Raw Data

Graphs

Photos

Results

Conclusion

My conclusion is that the softball can be hit further with a bat swung at the same speed every time due to its more weight and because its bigger is momentum makes the softball travel further then the baseball did. And if I didn't travel the the rolling and just where it landed the the baseball because of its weight would have gone further but with the momentum and weight advantage it went further.

Discussion

When I first decided on this project I thought right that the baseball would go further than the softball because it was smaller and weighed less but my hypothesis was proven wrong when the softball went further then the baseball did. When I constructed this machine that would swing the bat which was a wooden baseball bat seen in the pictures the same speed and hit the same spot on the bat every time Also seen in the graphs you can see that the softball had a further distance then the baseball after the 10 times it was hit.
The machine is constructed of four pieces of wood creating a cubed shaped then the bat is drill to the cube with a two sided hinge then there is a bungee cord which is attached to the bat and is pulled around the cube and when let go it swings the bat at the same speed every single time.and will be hit the same direction and from the same spot of the bat every time.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

The benefit is that it will show the community that the argument on distance of a softball and a baseball and if the size changes how for the different size balls can go.

Background Research

Whether on the ground or in the air, a variety of forces contribute to the motion of a ball. Focusing on spherical balls such as those used in golf, baseball and basketball their size and mass help determine how they travel. In addition to having an impact on speed and trajectory, the size and mass of balls also contribute to how external forces affect them.
Physics refers to balls such as those used in competitive sports as "rigid bodies." For rigid bodies in motion, the principles of the physics field called "dynamic" apply. Among the factors that help to determine how a rigid body moves, its mass per unit length, or mass-density, plays a vital role both on the ground and in the air. This helps determine how the laws of inertia apply. An object with high mass-density proves more difficult to move and also more difficult to stop once it begins moving.
The difference between softballs and the shots used in shot putting provide a great example of the effects of mass-density. Although both are approximately equal in diameter, you'll find the mass of the heavy metal shot much higher than that of the softball. As such, shot putting requires a greater amount of strength, or initial force, than throwing a softball. Due to the shot's high mass-density, however, forces such as air friction and the downward pull of gravity affect its flight less than a softball's.
The batting machine that I created is no where near the same as the professional made ones that take a massive amount of wiring and technology put in to it. My machine is put together so that the bat speed will stay the same every time say that I can get the most accurate data as possible and I would take the softball and hit it ten times with one ball and ten times with the other. The softball made it further in distance due to its weight it rolled further then the baseball because of its momentum.


References
Read More
"Does Size Affect How a Ball Travels?" LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
"Could You Hit Softball or Baseball Farther?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
"Softball Bat vs Baseball Bat...Why Does One Hit the Ball Farther?" Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

Abstract

I felt that this project was a great project for me because it is something about sports and I love sports a lot and I feel that I have done great on this project even though the snow and everything I still got a chance of doing my science experiment. The project that I that I could have got all of the data and graphing together quicker then I did but all of it came out great in my opinion.
And my design for my Baseball swinging machine I think it came out great and it also helped making the data more accurate and then you just swinging a bat on your own. The design was actually very simple it was simply four pieces of wood creating a cube with a baseball bat drilled to the cub with a two sided hinge and a long bungee cord that raps around the cube then when let go swings but towards tee and hits the softball either or baseball.
I think that I could have put a little more effort in to building a good machine and also making maybe a machine with a softball bat and the other machine with a baseball bat both of these bats of course being aluminum bats for maximum distance as possible. Then changing where I was hitting the balls from instead of doing it in my driveway maybe doing in an actual baseball field so that it would be more reasonable because baseball is played on a baseball field. Other then that I thought that the project came out perfectly if I fixed those mistakes then i would be the one winning 500$ at the Regional MWV science fair.